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Once the brothers were sat in the back of the taxi, Philip Stephens said a door opened and he heard a voice say 'What the f**k did you say to my sister? You better get out the f**king taxi, you are f**king having it'.

He told the jury: “We looked at each other. What the f**k?

“It seemed like an eternity we were in that taxi. Marc gets out, and when I get out I am confronted with a barrage of abuse and then punches.

“I grabbed him by the scruff, pinned him against the wall.”

Philip Stephens said he was then struck from behind with force.

“My glasses were knocked off. I feel the blood trickle down my face.

“That as I now know is Liam,” he said, referring to Hollie Smith's brother Liam Smith.

He said he could not see well without his glasses, and was on his hands and knees trying to find them before he saw the lens reflected in a car's headlights.

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When he retrieved them he could see his brother but 'not seen anyone else'.

“I got hold of him to get him out of the situation,” Philip Stephens said.

“He is there. I can't really see what is happening.

“I know there are people round him. There are a lot people around him.

“My main thing is to go there, get my brother and get out of the situation.

“I grabbed him, grabbed him forcefully and pulled him away.

“I grabbed him by the shoulders... Come on...

“I know he was in a state. His face was bloodied. That is all I can say. He had a real bad cut to his head,” Philip Stephens said.

He maintained that he did not hit or punch anyone else.

He then approached a police officer and told him: “I said I have been assaulted, bottled in the back of the head. And obviously he has arrested myself.”

Philip Stephens then told the jury: “If Hollie hadn't said what she said to the person she was with, if Ian hadn't stopped the taxi, if Liam had not opened the door none of this would have happened. Me and my brother would have been at home enjoying the rest of the evening.”

He told the jury that he was breathalysed at the police station and found to be at 26mcg in 100ml of blood. To give context the jury were told the legal limit for driving is 35mg.

He maintained: “There was no malice whatsoever. Just two people talking to a young female. Can we borrow your brolly?

“Good banter. Nothing malice whatsoever. Why she took it in the wrong context?

“It ruined the evening,” he said.

Denied they had been shouting and swearing

Marc Stephens denied that they had been shouting and swearing as they came in.

“We went to the bar, ordered a drink,” Marc Stephens said. “It was quiet in there. We left soon afterwards.

“I mean this in the most respectful way,” he said. “I said: 'It looks like there is a lot of men in here, it's a gay bar, I don't think your luck will be in.

“It was just a bit of banter between us. A laugh,” Marc Stephens said.

He said they continued their evening in other pubs and he drank seven to eight pints in total that day: “I am quite happy when I have had a drink. Merry, happy.”

“We had a really good time, but we cut it and went to meet the taxi,” he said.

“It had started to snow at this point. I was stood outside. We took shelter under the door of Wetherspoon's. Phil went to the toilet.

“There was a lady we know now as Hollie. I shouted 'Is that your taxi?', she said no. I said 'Phil that must be ours'.

'I swear it was jolly, banter. It was insignificant'

“It was just banter. I said, 'Do you mind if we share your brolly? We are going to get wet'.

“We had just spoken to her, so I thought give her a little banter, and she went 'No'.

“Honestly I just swear it was jolly, banter. It was insignificant.

“She said 'No' I said 'Fine. Have a good night.'”

Then after they got in the taxi, Marc Stephens said: “The passenger drivers side door flew open.

“What the f**k did you say to my sister? Get out of here your going to f**king get some.

It was such a surreal situation

“I was quite shocked. It was our second look at each other.

“I looked at the driver. The driver looked at the door.

“The door opened on my side, repeated on my side: 'What the f**k did you say to my sister.

“It was such a surreal situation to be in. I was ready to go home to bed.

“I sat there for what seemed like ages, it must have been a few seconds.

“We are going to have to find out what is happening here, because no one is moving.

“I got out of the taxi.”

'I have never been in that situation before. I have to defend myself'

He was asked why, and replied: “To find out what the situation is. Listen, we are not here for trouble. The taxi driver was not pulling off I don't know why.

“I stood up and went round to speak to Liam and Ian. Ian came straight at me and struck me. He is quite a big imposing person.

“He hit me with a closed fist. Into my arm, but directed to my face. I am bit taller than him.”

He said: “I have never been in that situation before. Brain is going 100mph.

“I have to defend myself. He is throwing punches more. We are now more in a fight situation.

“In this mad world where there is just the two of you, and trying to defend yourself. Fend off the strikes and strike back.

“A surreal situation to be in, I can't describe it.

“I remember being hit on the floor.”

He denied biting finger or trying to rip his ear off

Marc Stephens went on to say that he became aware of a crowd around him.

“They all know each other in Tewkesbury. It's a very small town. I was having potshots taken at me from the crowd.”

He denied that he had punched or struck Hollie Smith, and refuted the allegation that he had continued to attack Mr Wilkes when he was leant against a telephone junction box.

“I defended myself from him,” he said.

He denied biting Mr Wilkes' finger or trying to rip his ear off.

Describing the moment the police told him he was under arrest he said: “Yeah, it beggars belief. Ian walked over as if he was walking through a fresh field of daisies. He said you hit me first. I said no, you hit me first.”

He maintained under cross examination that all his actions were defensive and the others were the aggressors.